Blinken due in Israel on Saturday to continue efforts to reach Gaza cease-fire deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel on Saturday to continue diplomatic efforts to conclude a Gaza cease-fire agreement that includes an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the State Department announced on Friday.

The visit comes after the U.S., Egypt and Qatar announced that they had presented Israel and Hamas with what they called a "bridging proposal" to further narrow "remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal."

"This proposal would achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages, ensure humanitarian assistance is distributed throughout Gaza, and create the conditions for broader regional stability," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement.

"Secretary Blinken will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalize an agreement," he added.

A joint statement by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar described the discussions, which took place over two days, as "serious and constructive," adding that they "were conducted in a positive atmosphere."

The mediators did not provide details of the new proposal but said that it is "consistent with the principles laid out by (U.S.) President (Joe) Biden on May 31, 2024 and (UN) Security Council Resolution No. 2735."

It also mentioned that senior officials from the three countries will "reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim to conclude the deal under the terms put forward today."

The negotiations involved CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian Intelligence head Abbas Kamel, and Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea.

Hamas has refused to participate in the latest discussions, demanding that Tel Aviv stick to the agreements it made in July based on a proposal supported by Biden two months prior, according to media reports.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's war in Gaza since last October, the vast majority of them women and children. Vast tracts of the coastal territory have been completely leveled amid relentless Israeli bombardment that has reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble.

Gazans continue to face acute shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian assistance, as well as the significant curtailment of movement for aid convoys once they enter the strip.

A total of 1,139 people were killed in the cross-border attack led by Hamas on Oct. 7, which precipitated the current war.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.